What features should be included in a connected police car

To enforce law and combat crime, police need the most advanced security technology to help them in this regard. More and more, there are “connected police car” solutions that help officers target suspected criminals more easily and carry out their work more effectively without being present at the police station.

In general, the equipment needed in a connected police vehicle must capture images, transmit them properly to the backend, include some kind of intelligence, and withstand harsh conditions. Typical equipment includes cameras, transmission devices, and automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) software.

In a solution offered by Ficosa, which is having its trial run in the Spanish provinces of Madrid, Zaragoza, and Valencia, the connected police car integrates three video surveillance cameras located at the front, in the interior, and at the rear of the car. These cameras are able to record any activity that happens on its viewing angle and allow agents to generate an alert if an abnormal situation is detected, facilitating the future searching of the recorded video.

Since the police car is constantly on the go, equipment inside should be highly resistive to various inclement conditions. In the Ficosa solution, the center console of the car has been equipped with a laptop with a 10-inch touchscreen, notable for its ruggedness, enduring adverse conditions such as rain and extreme heat.

Since car theft is a common crime in municipalities, police should be equipped with advanced ALPR technologies, which convert car plate images into real characters and numbers. They can then be cross-analyzed with the police database listing suspicious or blacklisted vehicles. AutoVu by Genetec provides law enforcement agencies with such a solution, identifying license plates, cross-referencing multiple wanted vehicle lists, and supporting criminal investigations. The end result is a true increase in the overall level of security around schools and neighborhoods.

Finally, there must be a long-distance transmission mechanism in place to transfer the data back and forth between the car and the backend. 3G and 4G are good solutions for this. In the Ficosa case, it’s working with Spain’s Telefónica to get the connection needed for the data transfer. Furthermore, Ficosa has included an integrated antennas system with fractal technology that enhances connectivity in the vehicle.